Naren side stepped as the grotesque lump of muscles struck out against him. His bare feet landing in a crouched position before flipping over the next swipe of the beast. How handy it must've been to have six limbs.
"Bad kitty."
His golden eyes scattered through the empty grounds, looking for anything helpful. Lucky for him...that was everything.
In each pole hung up periodically around Lastlight, the blue flames of the lanterns all cast a dull reflection on the lamps they cowered in.
Each glow, then causing the windows to glimmer in return. An empty town like this was Naren's playground.
He vanished midair, appearing from the reflections of one of the lanterns, before finally being able to land softly.
This was such a drag. All because he ended up in some slave contract with that horrid woman. If he could have his way, Naren would just sleep this off. The dream-eater made it so convenient for them to get rest, why not take advantage of it.
"Two, attack."
Naren's body flew forward as his legs acted on autopilot. Dancing through the chunks of building being thrown at him, Naren leapt amidst the dust.
His heel coming through, like an arrow digging right into the snout of the beast sending it staggering back.
He quickly shot a dirty glance at Yuna.
"What's your problem princess."
"You seem to be doing a great job soldier."
Yuna pointed behind him before adding on:
"Don't get distracted now."
Naren turned only to get swept away by the beast, his thick arms hammering into Naren like a sledgehammer pushing him airborne.
Twisting in the air, Naren watched as the creatures maws split into three jaws, cascading with teeth sharp enough to tear him like butter.
FWIP
Right as the jaws clamped shot Naren had already disappeared. Rolling out onto his feet from a nearby window with the same momentum he flew with.
Unwrapping the scarf around his neck, Naren tied it tight around his waist. The dull fabric already showing tears from it's abuse. He let his neck breath, rolling it in a circle before spitting at the ground.
The beast snapped onto him. It's hind legs supported by it's second set of hands rampaging towards him. What Naren assumed to be his primary set of limbs digging into every building in it's path.
Shards of glass, debris, and dust scattered through the air as the beast lunged at the golden eyed boy...
Only for him to be gone.
The next second a shard of glass trickled onto the beast followed by an elbow digging into it's bare muscles.
FWIP
With another glass shard, the heels of the boy dug right into the wolves snout.
FWIP
A deep guttural punch right at the wolves underside.
FWIP FWIP FWIP
Yuna watched as Naren scattered across glass shards, across reflections. Coming in and going out. A frenzy of attacks like a gatling gun barreling at the beast. At each movement, Naren disappeared, only to reappear again in it's blind spot, digging his knees into it's joints.
Yuna who's mind was wiped clean from the loops had watched in blissful amusement. She couldn't help but smile as she watched her bet cash out.
"What a perfect soldier."
As if there were a hundred Narens, a hundred kicks, and elbows, and jabs, and crosses pounded into the beast. Sending it into a frenzied rage. Shooting around mindlessly, slamming into Naren on occasion.
They fought like mindless beasts, both of them. Each body of Naren that disappeared and reappeared acting as just another dummy, only to be swatted into reappearing from another angle.
When the dust finally settled, Naren limped out from a shard that fell between Yuna.
She stuck out two thumbs up.
"You're doing great two."
"Yeah? I don't feel great."
He wiped blood off his nose before returning his attention to the beast.
His eyes widened as the bestial eyes narrowed onto Naren. The growl sending tremors through his bones, as each and every fiber of the beast began to lash out and mend itself.
Exposed muscle becoming whole again. It's teeth stringing along.
"You're kidding me...right?"
Naren turned to Yuna, shakily pointing at the abomination.
"Don't you think I've done enough?...Can't I rest?"
Yuna tilted her head, her pitch-black eyes imprinting onto Naren's as she smiled.
"Distract him two."
Naren's body disappeared, reappearing from a glass window, shattered by the beast.
"Oh come on."
Once again, a thousand different Naren's split off. Cascading through each shard of glass like raindrops stomping on the forest grounds.
Each time he landed, he once again disappeared.
All the while, the werewolf continued prancing mindlessly. Swatting and lunging at any inch of movement.
It's teeth gritted and grinded, piercing it's own flesh. The bare fibers of it's muscles twisting into agony.
The creature itself was in pain.
Though that didn't bring it an ounce of favor in Naren's eyes.
His body was tired and oppressed. His eyes sluggish as the golden hue began dimming. Once more he disappeared, once more he reappeared. His body moved completely outside his control, solely on one input:
"Distract"
Meanwhile, Naren's mind continued trancing. Wondering how much of this was worth his efforts. If only he hadn't been ignorant enough to enter into a pact with Yuna.
'That damn Alice coulda told me something useful for once.'
In truth, Naren's mind had long since reached it's end. His mind continued to linger on Vera, scattered and broken. Afterall, no human should have been capable of retaining memories in the nightmares of a dream-eater. Yet still, some manage...
And for that he was now being punished in it's own course.
His mind slowly ate away at itself. Hindering all resolve he once had. All his ambitions and plans, slowly seeping away as the dream-eater continued to feast.
Thus was the fate of those who remembered...Their resolve devoured.
Yuna knew this. She knew this all too well. That's precisely why she continued sending only tidbits of information to herself using her fable.
Sending clues to her future self, using Naren as the fall for it all.
And all of that was for this moment in particular.
"I am not your master, but you will heed my call."
Yuna clutched the clothed scabbard. It shaking beyond her control, shifting and trembling towards the horrid beast before them.
Drawing the katana, it's blade completely chipped off. The motion revealing her arm beneath her sleaves, millions of tiny cuts blistered everywhere as blood seeped onto her clothes.
She stared down at the blade, her eyes in absolute control.
"Answer me...Pride."
The blade stopped shaking slowly, the cuts becoming less abundant.
Yuna sighed as she pointed the blade at the abomination ten meters before her. Her hands shook in midair, before she steadied them and with one final movement...She jolt forward, slamming the chipped blade into the air.
In the next moment, the beast began writhing in pain. No blades touched it, but somehow, the beast bled.
It's limbs cut off in an instant, it's head snarled into a pool of blood.
The creature tried getting up, it's fibers helplessly reaching out, only to be cut down by nothing as well. Over and over again, the creature twisted and shifted. It's bodied sliced into thinner and thinner pieces.
Naren watched in amazement, limping back from the frenzied beast.
It was as if the werewolf had been cut already. Minced into tiny pieces...But only now did it realize. Only now did it finally crumble.
Until he heard the sounds of something cack and squish. Like a tomato smushed into goo.
He tilted his head as he looked at Yuna, staggering forward before catching herself and regaining her balance.
Her right hand up to her elbow...squished into a red pulp of bones.